Michael Jackson's Telling Letter to Lisa Marie Presley

Michael Jackson's Telling Letter to Lisa Marie Presley

It's a heartbreaking letter from the desperate King of Pop to his then-wife, Lisa Marie Presley.

The just-released letter, written on a sheet of lined paper in Jackson's child-like scrawl reads:

"Lisa, I truly need this rest. I haven't slept literally in four days now. I need to be away from phones and business people. I must take care of my health first. I'm crazy for you."

And it's signed: "Love, Turd."

"Turd" was Jackson's pet name when he was married to Presley, from 1994 to 1996—a marriage best remembered for the jaw-dropping kiss they shared at the 1994 MTV Awards.

The letter was set to be auctioned off next month, but now, Presley is crying foul.

Darren Julien of Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills said, "We were asked to withdraw it by Lisa Marie Presley, which, we want to maintain a good relationship with her, so we obliged."

The letter has something curious at the top of the page—a hand-drawn rectangle with an arrow pointing to it, and the words "smell here."

Jackson's lament about not being able to sleep is especially poignant. He later became addicted to Propofol, the sleeping drug that killed him in 2009 and sent Dr. Conrad Murray to prison for involuntary manslaughter.